VILLANOVA, Pa. (October 11, 2009) – The Rutgers volleyball team was defeated by BIG EAST rival Villanova, 3-0, Sunday afternoon in Villanova, Pa. at the Jake Nevin Fieldhouse.
The Scarlet Knights (8-11, 1- 4 BIG EAST) have now dropped three straight conference matches, all by a 3-0 score. Rutgers is 2-5 on the road this season.
The Wildcats (14-6, 3-3 BIG EAST) captured the victory by scores of 25-19, 25-16, 25-21. Villanova leads the all-time series with Rutgers with an 11-9 advantage.
“It was a tough match for us and I thought that Villanova played exactly how I expected,” said Rutgers head coach
CJ Werneke. “They are a good serving team that plays scrappy defense and they showed that today. We showed some fight but did not execute consistently, which cost us.”
Junior outside hitter Caitlin Saxton (Encinitas, Calif.) scored 10 kills on 32 attempts. The co-captain has swatted doubled-digit kills in six of Rutgers’ 10 three-set matches this season
The Scarlet Knights out-blocked the Wildcats 12-2. Sophomore Hannah Curtis (Wasilla, Alaska) and freshman Alex Jones (Chesapeake, Va.) each posted three total blocks.
Sophomore setter Kallie Pence (College Station, Texas) led RU in assists with 12.
The Scarlet Knights face a tough challenge with back-to-back BIG EAST home matches next weekend. On Saturday, Rutgers welcomes 2008 co-BIG EAST regular season champion Cincinnati at 2 p.m. The Bearcats reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season. On Sunday, Rutgers hosts 2008 BIG EAST Tournament champion Louisville at 2 p.m.
